Tractor driven air compressor



July 11, 196 P. w. BROWNE 2,991,925

TRACTOR DRIVEN AIR COMPRESSOR Filed Jan. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g a 1 Q Q) mumm U k \t sswxe o) Q Q S m & s

9, Mr 9 '11 a i v m N\ l'xo s' 4 Paul m Browne 1N VEN TOR.

July 11, 1961 P. w. BROWNE 2,991,925

TRACTOR DRIVEN AIR COMPRESSOR Filed Jan. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Paul W Browne INVENTOR.

BY W

United States Patent v 2,991,925 TRACTOR DRIVEN AIR COMPRESSOR Paul W. Browne, RED. 2, Roodhouse, Ill., assignor of The present invention generally relates to an air compressor and more particularly to an air compressor which is driven from the power take-01f of a conventional trae tor or similar vehicle and which is air cooled.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an air compressor of the two cylinder type with the cylinders arranged in horizontal position with the compressor adapted to be mounted directly to the tractor and including a structural arrangement which permits air cooling thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an air compressor in which the intake air of one cylinder is employed for cooling the opposite cylinder.

Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide an air compressor in which a pressure control or pressure relief valve is communicated with the cooling chambers for the cylinders for further cooling the compressor and also cleaning out the filters for the incoming air when excessive pressure is released.

Other objects of the present invention will reside in its simplicity of construction, compactness, adaptation for its particular purposes and its relatively inexpensive manufacturing and maintenance cost.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the compressor of the present invention mounted on the drawbar of a tractor together with the pressure tank and an arrangement of tools powered thereby;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the compressor;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating the details of the compressor;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 66 of FIGURE 3 illustrating the construction of one of the check valves.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral '10 generally designates the air compressor of the present invention which is provided with a supporting bracket 12 adapted to be supported upon a drawbar 14 of a conventional tractor having a power take-oil. 16. Other support mechanisms may be provided which may be either directly attached to or articulately connected with the tractor. The air compressor is communicated with a pressure tank 18 which may be stationarily mounted in any manner and the pressure tank 18 is provided with pressure conduits 20 and 22 which may be connected to a work rotating device designated by the numeral 24 and a sharpening grinder designated by the numeral 26 whereby a disk assembly generally designated by the numeral 28 may be rotated by the work rotator 24 and sharpened by the sharpening device 26. The air compressor may be used with any type of air motor or for any purpose in which compressed air is desired.

Referring now specifically to FIGURE 3, the numeral 30 designates a crankcase housing having a pair of oppositely extending cylinders 32 and 34 thereon. The crankcase 30 is divided by a vertical line of separation 36 and secured together by fastening bolts 38. Iournaled in the crankcase 3-0 is a crankshaft 40 which is counterbalanced as designated by the numeral 42 and provided with an eccentric crank 44 for connecting to a pair of oppositely extending connecting rods 46 and 48 respectively. The connecting rods 46 and 48 are connected at their outer ends to pistons 50' and 52 each of which are provided with suitable sealing means 54. Each of the cylinders 32 and 34 is provided with a cylinder head 56 secured to the cylinder 32 by cap screws 58 which extend through a peripheral flange on the cylinder head 66 and a peripheral flange on the cylinder 3-2 or 34.

Adjacent the end of the cylinder 32, there is provided an inlet conduit 60 having a pipe or hose 62 connected thereto and the other cylinder 34 is provided with a like inlet conduit 64 having a pipe or hose 66 connected thereto. The conduits 60 and 64 are provided with check valves which will permit inflow of air but will prevent exit of air through the conduits.

For permitting exit of air, the cylinder heads 56 are each provided with an adapter conduit 68 connected with a high pressure line 70 with the high pressure line 70 being interconnected at one end of the compressor as clearly shown in FIGURE 1. The tubular adapter 68 is clearly shown in FIGURE 6 and includes a valve seat 72 with the spring urged ball check valve 74 engaged therewith. The check valve 74 will permit exit of air from the cylinder when the pistons move towards the cylinder heads but will prevent reentry of air into the cylinder when the pistons move away from the cylinder heads thus etfectively providing a compressor.

Each of the cylinders 32 and 34 is provided with an outer jacket 76 which may be secured to the cylinder 32 in any suitable and sealed manner and the outer end of the outer jacket 76 is provided with a screw threaded cap 78 which may be attached thereto by any suitable means with the cap 78 being perforated as indicated by the numeral 80. Disposed between the cap 78 and the outer end of the jacket 76 is a pair of copper filters 82 for preventing entry of foreign material with the air into the outer jacket 76 which completely surrounds the cylinders 32 and 34 respectively. As clearly seen in FIGURE 2, the conduit 62 connected with the tubular member 60,

is communicated with the outer jacket 76 which surrounds the cylinder 34 While the conduit 66 communicates with the outer jacket 76 which surrounds the cylinder 32. Thus, intake air will be drawn through the apertures 80 and filters 82 into the area between the outerjacket and the cylinders after which the same intake air will be drawn into the intake of the opposite cylinder thus cooling the cylinder as well as providing intake air to i the opposite cylinder.

Mounted on the crankcase 30 or in any desired position.

has been exceeded and also for blowing out or cleaning the filters by causing reverse air flow therethrough. For

purposes of assembly, the crankcase 30 is provided with a pair of removable circular end plates 92 which journal the crank shaft 40 in bearings 94 and also a grease retainer or seal 96 may be provided in encircling relation to the crankshaft 40.

For driving the crankshaft 40, there is provided a conventional telescopic drive shaft 97 equipped with a pair of universal joints 98 and 100 respectively. Various minor structural details have not been illustrated since they may vary in each individual installation.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a tractor having a generally horizontally disposed drawbar extending transversely behind a rear axle housing, and a power take-off shaft extending rearwardly from the axle housing; an air compressor comprising a pair of horizontally disposed cylinders, each cylinder having a crankcase portion on one end thereof, said cylinders being disposed in aligned relation with the crankcase portions in abutting engagement, fastening means detachably interconnecting said crankcase portions, a crankshaft journaled in said interconnected crankcase portions, said crankshaft having an eccentric rigid therewith, a pair of piston rods connected to the eccentric on said crankshaft, a piston on the outer end of each rod reciprocably received in the cylinders, each cylinder having a head closing the outer end thereof, a cylindrical jacket enclosing each of the cylinders in concentrically spaced relation thereby forming a chamber, a head for the outer end of the jacket in spaced relation to the cylinder head, each jacket head having apertures therein for passage of air into the chambers between the cylinder and jackets, the inner end of each jacket being sealed to the cylinder adjacent the crankcase portion, compressed air outlet pipes communicated with the interior of the cylinders and extending through the respective cylinder heads and jacket heads, each of said outlet pipes having a check valve for permitting discharge of air, an air intake pipe connected to each of the cylinders adjacent the cylinder head, each of said intake pipes extending through the jacket and having a check valve for admitting air, the intake pipe connected to one of said I cylinders being connected to the inner end portion of the jacket enclosing the other of said cylinders whereby the air compressed by the pistons will be drawn through the chamber around the other of said cylinders thereby cooling the cylinders with the incoming air, means connected with said crankshaft for rotating the crankshaft and reciprocating said pistons, bracket means connected to the cylinders and said drawbar for mounting the air compressor on the drawbar with the crankshaft generally in alignment with the power take-off shaft, said means connected with the crankshaft including a telescopic drive shaft having a pair of universal joints interconnecting the crankshaft and power take-off shaft.

2. An air compressor comprising a pair of horizontally disposed cylinders, each cylinder having a crankcase portion on one end thereof, said cylinders being disposed in aligned relation with the crankcase portions in abutting engagement, fastening means detachably interconnecting said crankcase portions, a crankshaft journaled in said interconnected crankcase portions, said crankshaft having an eccentric rigid therewith, a pair of piston rods connected to the eccentric on said crankshaft, a piston on the outer end of each rod reciprocably received in the cylinders, each cylinder having a head closing the outer end thereof, a cylindrical jacket enclosing each of the cylinders in concentrically spaced relation thereby forming a chamber, a head for the outer end of the jacket in spaced relation to the cylinder head, each jacket head having apertures therein for passage of air into the chambers between the cylinders and jackets, the inner end of each jacket being sealed to the cylinder adjacent the crankcase portion, compressed air outlet pipes communicated with the interior of the cylinders and extending through the respective cylinder heads and jacket heads, each of said outlet pipes having a check valve for permitting discharge of air, an air intake pipe connected to each of the cylinders adjacent the cylinder head, each of said intake pipes extending through the jacket and having a check valve for admitting air, the intake pipe connected to one of said cylinders being connected to the inner end portion of the jacket enclosing the other of said cylinders whereby the air compressed by the pistons will be drawn through the chamber around the other of said cylinders thereby cooling the cylinders with the incoming air, means connected with said crankshaft for rotating the crankshaft and reciprocating said pistons.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said jackets are interconnected by a crossover conduit communicated with the inner ends of the chambers between the jackets and cylinders, a pressure relief valve disposed in the outlet pipes, said relief valve having a bleed-off line communicated with the crossover conduit whereby excess pressure in the outlet pipes will be discharged through the chambers thereby cleaning the chambers and jacket head openings by reverse flow of air therethrough.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said outlet pipes are interconnected outwardly of one of the jacket heads thereby providing a single outlet pipe extending to the pressure relief valve, said pressure relief valve mounted on the crankcase portion of one of said cylinders whereby the discharge pipes are orientated alongside of the cylinders and crankcase portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 591,137 Miles Oct. 5, 1897 975,588 Wallace Nov. 15, 1910 1,462,432 Wajdic July 17, 1923 1,685,150 Davey et a1. Sept. 25, 1928 2,176,691 Simons Oct. 17, 1939 2,299,879 Court Oct. 27, 1942 2,456,019 Pettipiece Dec. 14, 1948 2,539,896 Dalrymple Jan. 30, 1951 2,613,027 Baumgart et al. Oct. 7, 1952 2,696,785 Blue Dec. 14, 1954 2,771,037 Johnston Nov. 20, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 408,514 Great Britain Apr. 12, 1934 

